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HOLLYWOOD

The Boys is one of the few Prime Video series to chart on Nielsen, and its Season 3 finale is one of only three Amazon shows to amass more than 1 billion minutes streamed in a week.

Streamer Report Cards, Part I: The Tech Lords

Gaming out what shows are working, what genres are oversupplied, and where there are the greatest growth opportunities for Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Julia Alexander • April 17, 2023
Matthew Belloni • April 14, 2023
Ben Affleck’s ‘Air’ & The Super-Weird State of Movies (Part 2)
Gerry Cardinale and Ben Affleck at the Dealbook conference in November.
In an age of global buyouts, a vanishing middle class of actors and filmmakers, and a likely upcoming writers strike, it’s easy to see why Artists Equity feels revolutionary. So why are so many executives, producers, and finance types so skeptical?
Eriq Gardner • April 10, 2023
A Hulk-for-Hulu Swap & Microsoft’s Legal Game Theory
In December, Lina Khan’s FTC seemed to put the kibosh on the Microsoft-Activision deal, but Wall Street is now growing optimistic that it might close.
An insider reading of the hottest M&A topics: Hulu, Activision, Illumina, and more.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was never enthusiastic about a recently-shelved Star Wars project, according to sources.
Matthew Belloni • April 10, 2023
Kathy Kennedy’s ‘Star Wars’ Amnesia
The Lucasfilm president was never enthusiastic about a now-shelved Kevin Feige Star Wars project. Is that why she seemed to “forget” its existence?
The cast of Ben Affleck-directed sports drama ‘Air’ starring Matt Damon and friends.
Matthew Belloni • April 10, 2023
Ben Affleck’s ‘Air’ and the Super-Weird State of Movies (Part 1)
In theatrical terms, Air is a $130 million release that, even with tens of millions of dollars in marketing and great word-of-mouth, will likely top out at less than half that in U.S. theaters. So how come everyone is rushing to declare it a hit?
Netflix co-C.E.O. Ted Sarandos. Few in Hollywood known how the transition to streaming will play out, or which business model will prove to be the right one.
Julia Alexander • April 4, 2023
The Great Streaming Money Squeeze
As Hollywood retrenches from its cash-burning, everything-at-the-wall, win-at-all-costs era, streaming guru Matthew Ball weighs in on the industry’s shrinking margins, a new Netflix competitor, and why gaming is merging with traditional entertainment.
Are WGA president Meredith Stiehm and guild leadership strategically trying to run up against the contract deadline?
Jonathan Handel • April 3, 2023
Decoding the Writers Strike Smoke Signals
Rumors of progress between the guild and the studios may be overstated as the two sides hardly negotiate in the negotiating room and guild leadership has leaned into a scorched-earth, down-to-the-wire strategy.
An HR investigation led to the departure of ‘The Bachelor’ franchise creator Mike Fleiss.
Matthew Belloni • March 31, 2023
‘The Bachelor’ Loses Its Cold, Black Heart
For two decades, Mike Fleiss was the twisted genius behind the Bachelor franchise. With his exit this week following an investigation into racial discrimination in casting, details are emerging on a consensus member of Reality TV’s All-Star Asshole team.
If all goes according to Academy C.E.O. Bill Kramer’s plan, there will be a mandate that best picture nominees films play in 15 or 20 of the top 50 markets in the U.S. to be eligible.
Matthew Belloni • March 31, 2023
The Oscars’ Bold Bid to Boost Theaters
It’s all being kept quiet for now, but I’m told the Academy is poised to enact a significant rules change, potentially adding a new theatrical distribution requirement for films to be eligible for best picture.
‘Dragged Across Concrete,’ a critically acclaimed but semi-controversial Mel Gibson vehicle that bombed at the box office in 2018, is now a Netflix hit.
Julia Alexander • March 28, 2023
Netflix & The Most Valuable Real Estate in Hollywood
While its rivals shift back to a theatrical-first, monetize-as-you-can content strategy, Netflix is doubling down on what it does best: leveraging its massive scale, data, and that coveted home page to resurface content that the rest of Hollywood needs to sell.
Bachelorette contestant Blake Horstmann apparently pushed the limits of his contract by appearing on several “tell all” podcasts.
Eriq Gardner • March 27, 2023
A ‘Bachelorette’ Squabble & Tom Girardi’s Psych Exam
Hollywood’s most litigious reality TV producer takes Blake Horstmann for $175k. Plus updates on the Girardi-‘Housewives’ mystery.
A recent ruling that the jury must be kept anonymous in E. Jean Carroll’s case against Donald Trump might lead to a host of problems if Trump is indicted.
Eriq Gardner • March 27, 2023
Trump’s Jail Odds & Biden’s Diary Fallout
News and notes on the most consequential, underlooked legal industry stories of the moment, and the attorneys behind them.
When Victoria Alonso’s employment agreement was last renegotiated, Disney found out she was producing a side project, Argentina, 1985, for Amazon Studios.
Matthew Belloni • March 27, 2023
Marvel’s Trial By Media
Ignore the self-righteous press: Victoria Alonso’s public crusade for a payout from Disney is nothing more than a money fight. And perhaps, in the grand tradition of Michael Eisner, a brand-building opportunity for whatever comes next.
Lionsgate’s Joe Drake and Keanu Reeves.
Matthew Belloni • March 27, 2023
Lionsgate’s Future & The ‘John Wick’ Effect
A candid conversation with studio motion picture chair Joe Drake about the fate of the Wick franchise, the challenge of making mid-budget movies, and whether the studio could sell in 2023.
Filmmaker Adam McCay has been pitching a star-studded political dramedy, but challenging streaming economics have made it difficult to find a home.
Matthew Belloni • March 24, 2023
Streaming’s Long, Slow Journey to Television
New Disney+ and Netflix numbers point to a split between existing and new subscribers, and a familiar, potentially stable future for streaming.
Tyler Perry, Paramount Global chairperson Shari Redstone, and BET president Scott Mills.
Julia Alexander • March 21, 2023
The Shari BET Strategy
Shari Redstone has combined her family heirlooms into one massive, undervalued, underloved media conglomerate in the hopes of finding a single buyer for the whole enchilada. So why is she making an exception for BET?
Tiger Woods and ex girlfriend Erica Herman at the 2022 US Open in New York City.
Eriq Gardner • March 20, 2023
The Tiger Woods Legal Sand Trap
A new suit over ex Erica Herman and a Hobe Sound mansion could open the floodgates for litigious exes waiting to take a swing at their former celebrity flames.
Lauren Sanchez has been quietly working on her first scripted film. It’s been quite the trial by fire.
Matthew Belloni • March 20, 2023
Lauren Sanchez’s Adventures in the Screen Trade
Jeff Bezos’s ambitious companion self-financed a film that secretly shot last summer and includes a cameo by Bezos’s ultra-private daughter, but crew defections turned a low-budget passion project into something far less hassle-free than buying undies on Amazon.